Hilary and Stan in Europe 2011 - Day 15 - Djon - cycling along Canal de Bourgogne

Well, it was a pretty wet ride, but we made it. With a 90% chance of precipitation, what could you expect.  However, it was now, or never.... and, in the end, the ride up the Canal was definitely worth it!

The Canal de Bourgogne is part of an interconnected waterway that spans over 6,000 kilometers throughout much of France. Built in 1775 and completed in 1832, this waterway, which is 242 km long, connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea via the Seine and the Yonne to the Saône and Rhône.   We cycled only 20 km up the canal, to Pont de Pany., where we had lunch.

The route itself is beautiful, paralleling the canal for hundreds of kilometers, with only support vehicles and bicycles allowed on it.

Along the way, we passed several boats moving up the canal through hand-operated locks.

Just as the boat arrived, a fellow pulled up on a bicycle and ran over to open the lock in order to admit the boat.

Once it passed through, he closed the gates, and let the lock fill with water flowing from upstream.

Once filled, he opened the second set of locks to allow the boat to proceed.  Remarkably, as the boat passed through, we saw it had a Canadian flag. It turned out the family on the boat comes from Victoria!  Small world.  They bought the boat several years ago and have spent every summer traveling along France's waterways.... a very relaxing way to travel.

The rain, which had kindly held off during our ride to Pont de Pany, was not so kind on the way home. What a wet ride!  It didn't help that we managed to get lost on the way back.  I can look  back at it and smile, however, you can just imagine the scene:  There we are, asking for directions from two very helpful, but non-English speaking women, in pouring rain,  looking at a soggy map that is disintegrating before our eyes.  I think we managed to figure out the first two streets of a half dozen they gave directions for, but that was about it.  We headed off, and thankfully, started to get our bearings.  Around that time, Hilary's rear tire blew.  For a second time.

Anyway, we got back to the hotel a bit wet, but otherwise OK.  After returning our bikes (Hilary walking hers, as the tire was as flat as a pancake), we got hot showers and headed out for our last dinner in France.

The restaurant we found, located near the main plaza, was simply wonderful.  A live jazz singer, accompanied by a piano, played to a very small audience while we enjoyed a dinner that was beautifully prepared and served.  By the time the restaurant closed  (yet again, we were pretty much the last to leave), the rain had abated, and we had a quiet walk back to the hotel.  Tomorrow we will be catching a train back to Paris, with connections to the Chunnel (to London), and eventually, to Manchester for the last segment of our holiday in Europe.